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Welcome to my blog about health, nursing, caring, kindness and positive change. Our world is full of such negative influences and bad choices, today is the day to make a positive change both physically and mentally in your life.

ERNursesCare is a blog incorporating my nearly 30 years of experience in the healthcare field with my passion for helping others, I want it to encourage others with injury prevention, healthy living, hard hitting choices, hot topics and various ramblings from my unique sense of humor. Come along and enjoy your journey......

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Kevin Lucey lost his son to suicide. Please, I know its hard to listen
to. I know it will make you cry to watch this. But please take the three
minutes and hear his story... and pass it along. Joining together,
caring together, we CAN keep people like Jeffrey from falling through
the cracks. We can make a difference.

Suicide is a topic that nobody wants to talk about, but it is very real, just like the
story above of Kevin Lucey. Jeffrey fell thru the cracks and died, he cried out for help
and nobody seemed to have the time to help him, except his parents.
Lets take a look at suicide and what education and resources are out there now.
One of the best ones I have seen lately is the "Kristin Brooks Hope Center-Hopeline", alot of the information here is credited to their webpage (thank you).

Suicide is a permanent solution to a
temporary problem. Suicidal behavior is complex, as some risk factors
vary with age, gender, and ethnic group and may even change over time.
The risk factors for suicide frequently occur in combination. Research
has shown that more than 90% of people who commit suicide have
depression or another diagnosable mental or substance abuse disorder.

The number one cause of suicide is untreated
depression. A depressive disorder is an illness that involves the whole
body, mood, and thoughts. It affects the way a person feels about
oneself and the way one thinks about things. The taking of ones own life
tragically demonstrates the terrible psychological pain experienced by a
person who has lost all hope – a person who is no longer able to cope
with day to day activities – a person who feels there is no solution to
their problem – a person who wants to end the pain by ending their own
life.

Much of this kind of suffering is unnecessary.
Depression is treatable and as a result, suicide is preventable. Love
yourself or a friend enough not to keep thoughts of suicide a secret. If
you or a friend of yours is thinking of ending the pain by ending your
own life, this is not a secret to keep. Talk to your family, friends or
other special people in your life. They can help you find solutions to
your problems and to see ways to cope with your pain without ending your
life. Help is just a phone call away: 1.800.SUICIDE (784-2433)

Things to know about suicide:

• 90% of people who commit suicide have depression or another diagnosable mental illness or substance abuse disorder

• The number one cause of suicide is untreated depression

• Suicide has ranked at the 3 rd leading cause of death for young people nationally

• There are three female attempts for every
male attempt at suicide. However, males are four times as likely to die
from their attempts

What to do if a friend or loved one is suicidal:

• Let that person know you are concerned about
their well-being, and that you have observed certain clues that have
made you think that they may want to hurt themselves. Ask them if they
are depressed or suicidal.

• Listen to your friend, and keep in mind that
you must stay calm. Your friend will more than likely be relived that
someone noticed their pain, and cared enough to confront them and talk
about it.

• Support your friend unconditionally. While
you cannot make someone choose to live, and while you aren't responsible
for their life, you can support them and show them that you care while
giving them ideas about other choices.

• Remind this friend that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

• Be honest with your friend and they will
trust your input. Let them know you want to help them, even if it
involves calling an adult or a hotline. Call them in front of your
friend if necessary.

• Call 9-1-1 if you feel their suicide threat is immediate.

• Become trained as a Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper ONLINE! NOW!
The Kristin Brooks Hope Center is pleased to announce the first
suicide prevention gatekeeper training program to be delivered online.

The program is called QPR. It stands for Question,
Persuade and Refer, three steps anyone can learn to help prevent
suicide. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in
crisis and can save lives. QPR is the most widely taught gatekeeper
training program in the United States, and more than 1,000,000 adults
have been trained in classroom settings in 50 states.

QPR Online is taught in a clear, concise format using the latest in
educational technology and takes approximately one hour to complete. A
high-speed internet connection is required.

QPR Online is hosted by actress and author, Carrie Fisher, and uses
Web-based technology, compelling graphics, streamed video and
interactive learning dynamics to teach:
* How to get help for yourself or learn more about preventing suicide
*The common causes of suicidal behavior
*The warning signs of suicide
*How to Question, Persuade and Refer someone who may be suicidal
*How to get help for someone in crisis
After completing a post-course survey, evaluation and passing a
15-item quiz on QPR, a printable Certificate of Course Completion is
available.

The course retails for $29.95. By typing in "Hopeline" in the promo code you receive a 33% discount. The cost will be $19.95.